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Brantford Blast
| arena = Brantford Civic Centre | colours = Red, Yellow, and Black | coach = Mike Burgoyne | GM = Darren Watson | name1 = Brantford Prowl | dates1 = 2000-2001 | name2 = Brantford Blast | dates2 = 2002-present |}}Brantford Blast are a Canadian senior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association's Major League Hockey, from Brantford, Ontario, Canada. The team was established in 2000, and play their games at the Brantford Civic Centre. The Blast were the winners of the 2008 Allan Cup as Canadian Senior "AAA" Champions. Competitive hockey back in Brantford In 2000, the Ontario Hockey Association allowed for the expansion of the first Brantford team since 1987 into Ontario's top tier of Senior hockey. The Brantford Prowl competed during the 2000-01 Southwestern Senior A Hockey League season and finished in fifth place with a record of 12 wins, 17 losses, and a tie. The team took 2001-02 off, but then re-emerged in 2002 as the Blast. In 2002, Brantford rejoined the top tier of Ontario senior hockey this time known as the Brantford Blast. At the time, the city had the Brantford Golden Eagles in the Ontario Hockey Association, but had also lost teams, like the Brantford Alexanders of the Ontario Hockey League, who left in 1984 and the Brantford Smoke of the Colonial Hockey League, who left in 1998. The Blast would play their home games at the Brantford Civic Centre as well. The Blast have made it to the post season twice. In the 2005-06 season, when they won the league, but lost in the first round to the Dundas Real McCoys 4 games to 2. In the 2006-07 season, they placed third, defeating the Petrolia Squires 4 games to 3, and the Windsor St. Clair Saints 4 games to none to capture their first MLH Championship after a 4-3 win Monday March 12 in front of the home town crowd in Brantford. 2008 Allan Cup The Blast finished the 2007-08 season just barely out of first place. They swept the Windsor St. Clair Saints 4-games-to-none in the Major League Hockey semi-final, but were defeated 4-games-to-2 to the Dundas Real McCoys. The Brantford Blast were the host team of the 2008 Allan Cup, which was held in Brantford from April 14-April 19, 2008. This was also the 100th anniversary for the event, one of the reasons that the Blast wanted to host it. The Brantford Blast became the first Ontario Hockey Association team since the Brantford Motts Clamatos, in 1987, to win the Allan Cup. As hosts of the 2008 Allan Cup, the Blast failed to win their league and were allowed to bypass the OHA Final against the Whitby Dunlops and the Renwick Cup against the Thunder Bay Hawks. After almost a months rest, the Blast competed at home for the Allan Cup and won the entire thing. After suffering their only loss of the tournament to the Shawinigan Xtreme 3-2 in the first game, the Blast defeated the Bentley Generals 5-3 to clinch second in their division. They defeated the Robertson Cup and EOSHL champion Whitby Dunlops in the quarter-final handily, 7-2. They then knocked off the Major League Hockey and Renwick Cup champion Dundas Real McCoys in the semi-final 3-2 in overtime. They met Bentley again in the final, who defeated the 2007 champions Lloydminster Border Kings and the Shawinigan Xtreme, and defeated them 3-1 to win the Canadian National Senior "AAA" crown. Building for the Future During the summer of 2017 Blast owner Peter Ham relinquished the General Manager position to the then assistant General Manager Darren Watson. Ham had been the team's GM since its' founding in 2002. Ham was hoping to focus on building he Blast relationship with the local community and was working on trying to host the 2020 Allan Cup which is scheduled to be awarded to Ontario. Leave of Absence During the summer of 2018 Peter Ham had announced that he would put the team up for sale and step down from running the team. No one had purchased the team by early September and the team announced it was suspending operations for the 2018-19 season and would hopefully be back under new ownership for the 2019-20 season. Sale of the team was announced on September 24, 2018. Unfortunately, it would be too late to get the team on the ice for 2018-19. The team should be returning to the ice for 2019-20.https://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/sports/local-sports/new-owner-found-for-brantford-blast Return of the Blast The Stoney Creek Generals would open their 2018-19 season at the Brantford Civic Centre.http://brantfordblast.pointstreaksites.com/view/brantfordblast/news-1646/news_510587 The Generals organization would announce in early August 2019 that the team would be relocating to Brantford for the 2019-20 season and would assume the Blast identity. Season-by-season record ''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against'' Awards *'2004/2005' - All Star Centre - Paul Polillo *'2004/2005' - Most Sportsmanlike - Tyler Pelton *'November 2005' - Player of the Month - Adriano Fiacconi *'December 2005' - Player of the Month - Tyler Pelton *'2005-06' - League All-Star Game players - Tyler Pelton, Adriano Fiacconi, Brett Leggat *'2005-06' - Season Champions *'2005-06' - Best Team Goaltending *'2006-07' - Major League Hockey Champions *'2007-08' - Allan Cup Champions *'2011-12' - Allan Cup Hockey - Robertson Cup Champions *'2011-12' - Best Team Goaltending - Brett Leggat, Anthony Marshall, Ben Thomas *'2011-12' - League Best player award - Mike Ruberto *'2011-12' - League Leader Points - Mike Ruberto *'2011-12' - League Best goaltender award - Brett Leggat *'2011-12' - League Leader Goaltending - Brett Leggat *'2012-13' - League Best goaltender award - Brett Leggat *'2012-13' - League Leader Goltending - Brett Leggat *'2013-14' - League Best goaltender award - Brett Leggat *'2013-14' - League Most valuable player - Joel Prpic *'2013-14' - League Leader Goaltending - Brett Leggat *'2014-15' - League Best goaltender award - Anthony Marshall *'2014-15' - League Leader Goltending - Anthony Marshall *'2015-16' - League Best goaltender award - Brett Leggat *'2015-16' - League Leader Goaltending - Brett Leggat Notable alumni *Brent Gretzky *Grant Ledyard *Steven Rice *Chad Spurr *Tyrone Garner *Brett Leggat *Joel Prpic *Jeff MacMillan See also *Allan Cup Hockey *Allan Cup External links *Official Brantford Blast Website *Major League Hockey Website References Category:Ice hockey teams in Ontario Category:Ontario Hockey Association Category:Canadian ice hockey teams Category:Established in 2000 Category:Allan Cup winners